Starting on Christmas?

So with Bell, Book and Candle almost over and all this time I can do what I want, it's time to start on Christmas, right? Nope. I remembered I have another new baby arriving soon so I started work on her quilt. (Jude's is still slogging along at performances.) I did some mass cutting for a few Etsy shop items and then-- IT happens. IT often happens. I'm working at a good clip when suddenly the shop that is usually ignored clicks with people and I have a flurry of questions and then a couple of special orders. Yeah! IT is a good IT-- cash in the fabric stash account! But no work today. Got a special visitor today and it's time to shift into Grandma mode! Kal-El is 10 months old now!

What to do, what to do...

Today "what to do" takes on two meanings:
First, a quandary-- Got a message at the Etsy shop to trade one of my items for something from their shop. Okay, I guess. I'm always happy that someone likes my item(s). But I don't need/want anything from their shop. I sell my items to pay for my fabric habit; I need cash. But I feel that if I say no, thank you, I'm being unkind or insulting. Is that how it goes for any of you others who have shops? Should I make a trade in a spirit of goodwill and support to a fellow crafter? What to do...

...on the other side is, really, what do I do now? I have a long list of projects that have been waiting for my 'want to sew' time (as opposed to the "have to sew" projects) and now that I have it I don't know where to start! Clothes for my odd-shaped bod? Pajama pants for the family (with a few put away for Christmas!)? Stock for the shop? Maybe I should clear out the UFO's some more? I dunno. I guess I'll see what jumps into my hands. One thing I am doing, though, is hand quilting Jude's blanket. Now that Bell, Book and Candle is running, I take it to the theatre with me. I have about an hour and a half of waiting time between my responsibilities. I'm hoping to finish it by Thanksgiving!

New spaces

When you live in a small house (3 BR, 1 Bath) and have four kids, there's not a whole lot of choices. Mom & Dad have a room, boys share a room and girls share a room. After our eldest married, that left Jacie with a room of her own. We painted and decorated it to suit 'her' style, but after a little while it became clear to me that maybe it was C, #2, who really needed to go solo. At that time he was a working man and starting college. He bought his own clothes, electronics, books and I feared that the youngers would mess with the stuff he worked so hard for. I had him move over and Jacie shared with Philip. Interestingly, he did not care to re-decorate and was fine with J's choices of green and purple on the walls and windows! Honestly, he's not there much , except to sleep. It was good for a couple of years. Recently, though, we have all been noticing that, despite her penchant for boys' clothes and haircuts, Jacie is becoming a young lady and it was C who decided it was time to move back in with Phil. So, the past few weeks have been an absolute mess of boxing, moving, painting and organizing. We painted the boys room-- it hadn't been changed for about ten years! It has gone from a dark green/tan pallette to a light grayish-blue. Very open and airy! Jacie's was left alone; after all, C never changed it. The big thing about her room is it's not just hers. I am her new roommate! After years of my sewing being packed into one corner of our bedroom and my fabrics and supplies taking up my own closet (my clothes went over to my husband's closet!) I have moved my machines over to share space with Jacie. Most of the storage, planning, cutting, etc. will still be done in my 'cave' but the actual machine time will now be done in J's room. My dresser is now hers and her tiny one is mine and it fits right into the closet. It's nice to have room to move next to my bed! Unfortunately, the move took a lot of time away from schoolwork so we're behind in that. So, between school and finalizing "Bell, Book and Candle", there won't be much fun sewing time. But what else is new around here, right? While we were moving the heavy stuff, Jacie was busy working on her solar system:



When it comes to making a mess with schoolwork, somehow she manages to make time for that!

Pinning away-

I closed my Etsy shop for the summer, thinking it needed some updated and new items; plus all the camp/travel/VBS commitments just made it difficult to check on everyday. I figured I had all summer (yeah, right) to make lots of stuff to add (yeah, right). I especially wanted to tackle the mountain of knick-knacks I have been collecting to make into pincushions. Every time I hit a thrift store I check out the bric-a-brac to see what might have pincushion potential. I see pincushions the way Haley Joel Osment sees dead people. Everywhere. I have a couple of guidelines-- one is that it has to be under a dollar. The other is no body parts. Other than that, the world is my pincushion. I finally took some time when "Forbidden Broadway" opened to get a bunch done. This isn't even half of 'em. I grabbed one picture of the lot before stuffing; now I have to photograph them individually and get them listed. It could happen! BTW-- I gave away one that was made from a porcelain toilet. It was part of the sink and tub set that's pictured. I've had requests for more so if anyone knows a little ceramic shop that happens to have a mold of a 4-5" toilet... :)

I have costume parade for "Bell, Book and Candle" today-- a fun show that is pretty much found items. No special sewing so far. Very sweet cast and crew. I like non-stressful shows! Two weeks ago I got a message asking for help from a director I made one piece for last year. He had a show opening within three weeks and his costumer had not delivered key pieces yet so I agreed to do some, even though I really didn't have the time. It got a little frustrating because, while I was making my designs, the former costumer kept showing up with the now completed pieces. Waste of my time. I hate that. It made me feel like if I waste my time; shame on me. If you waste my time; I might remember it the next time you need something. Right?

Hurting-

Not a sewing post---just had a heavy heart. My family has close ties to Mid-Atlantic Christian University (MACU), formerly Roanoke Bible College. It's my daughter & son-in-law's alma mater and we've known so many who attended or are attending this fine school. This past weekend a student was killed in a shooting in the dorm that is still under investigation. There is a person of interest, also a student there, but so much is still not known about the circumstances. So many questions. The one I keep hearing most often is 'why God would allow this to happen to Christians'. I have no magic answer; I don't know that anyone does. All I can say for sure is being a Christian doesn't exclude you from tragedy. Anyone who comes to Christianity to escape tragedy will not. Bad things will always happen. But Christianity will give the comfort to deal with it. I honestly don't know how those who don't know God cope.

Mid-Atlantic Christian University; Elizabeth City North Carolina has issued "A CALL TO PRAYER"; at 7:30 in the Blanton Center on campus Thursday evening October 7. All are invited to attend this most special service of prayer for the MACU family. If you can not attend, will you please take some time during that hour to lift up a prayer? God Bless MACU, it's leaders, faculty & staff and it's dear students. Amen.

I could get a lot more done 'round here if life would stop getting in the way! Tried to upload pics for new Etsy stuff but can't find the cord I need. Can't work in the cave because children left unattended stop doing schoolwork and start tormenting each other. Must work on Jude's blanket but need to do laundry. So here's some more "Forbidden Broadway"! Because THAT I have managed to finish!

Just an update...

(sing along if you know "Spamalot"...)
I am not dead yet
I can dance and I can sing
I am not dead yet
I can do the Highland Fling!

I am not dead yet
No need to go to bed
No need to call the doctor
Cause I'm not yet dead!

Not that anyone in the blog-world missed me but I've had a busy few weeks. Here's an update: Jude is here! He arrived August 31st; gave his momma a hard time and had lots of prayers sent up for him but he is now thriving and quite beautiful. I hope to finish his blanket by next week. Or before he gets to college. Why isn't it done yet? Well...

Speaking of "Spamalot"... The new season is under way at our dear Little Theatre. Over the summer we went through a huge, expensive overhaul where we got new floors (they were sinking), seats curtains, paint, landscaping---oh, my! SO much work. But so worth it. The theatre is truly wonderful! The opening show is a musical called "Forbidden Broadway"; which parodies famous Broadway shows and performers. Very funny and we has such fabulous talent performing them-- it's one of the best shows I've had the pleasure of working on. Some of the costumes are true to the show and some are just plain silly but they're all great fun! And I had an actual co-costumer this time that did not disappoint! Since I don't know if she'd want her name on here I'll call her Ms. Awesome. She came through with great ideas, pieces, sewing work and stories. She has become a friend as well as a co-worker and I plan to call on her for fun and work as often as I can. The only drawback to Ms. Awesome is that she is a military wife which means she won't be here forever and I'll miss her very much. Which brings me to...

Had an unexpected trip up north. I wrote about my Father-in-Law's Heart attack/bypass several weeks ago. He's doing very well; home from rehab and feeling good. Number 1 daughter, 'A' wanted to see him, and her other Grandpa while she had some time free so we went for a quick visit. Honestly, I think the attack scared her a little and she just wanted to see her Grandparents before something else happens. She was a little wary of traveling with Kal-El by herself (her husband couldn't leave his new job). I was swamped with sewing, starting school, working at the theatre, and trying to re-open the Etsy store but, as my husband pointed out, this is one reason we homeschool. So off we went. It was a nice visit but I am still trying to catch up on school and house and laundry (oh, yes, the washer died for good right before we left) and, as is so often the case, the pleasure sewing must wait. Right now I plan to catch up on posts from all the lovely sewing/crafting blogs I follow, before another night of 'Forbidden Broadway'. And it's time to start work on the next show for the other theatre. And soccer season has started. And we'll be hosting Sunday night Bible study here. Oh and there's the Christmas program!

What's crazy is I actually have said 'no' this season to a few things. Oy!